Michael R. Milken - Investment & Finance Definition

Dubbed
the “junk bond king” for his role in creating the junk bond market and using
the proceeds to help companies mount hostile takeovers, or leveraged buyouts,
during the 1980s. He worked at Drexel Burnham Lambert, which folded after legal
investigation of Milken and the firm’s activities. Drexel filed for bankruptcy
protection in 1990 and was dismantled. Milken pled guilty to six counts of
securities fraud in 1990, served nearly two years in prison, and paid more than
$1 billion in fines, penalties, and restitution. He was barred from the
securities business for life.